I had no idea how this was going to go down. It was something we’d talked about during the ride down here and over dinner yesterday. Breaking this kind of news was going to get crazy.

“You sure it’s him?” Seth asked in a low voice.

Hercules chuckled. “I have never been wrong.”

“That’s not entirely reassuring,” Alex muttered, and then gave the guy a little wave. “Hi!”

“Hey. Saw you guys had some problems up there,” he said, lowering the board and shoving it in the sand. He smiled at Alex. “That was hot, but you guys should be careful. If you’re not a local, you’re not going to be very welcome here.”

“Thanks for the heads-up,” Seth said, stopping beside me. “But we’re actually looking for you.”

The guy’s brows flew up. “Me? I’m sorry.” He took the four of us in. “I don’t recognize you guys, and I think I would.”

“I’m Hercules,” Herc said, spreading his muscled arms wide as he smiled. “Yes, that Hercules. I’ve come from Olympus to find you—you, the son of Poseidon.”

My mouth dropped open. Oh my God.

“Tactful,” muttered Alex as she turned sideways, placing her hands on her hips. “Gods.”

The guy stared at Hercules and then laughed. “Man, you’re as high as balls, aren’t you?”

Hercules frowned as he glanced over at me. “I don’t even know what that means.”

“It means you’re an idiot,” snapped Seth. He shook his head. “He’s not high. He’s just . . . socially inept.”

Hercules turned to Seth, scowling.

“We really need to talk to you,” Alex jumped in. “It’s very important and we’ve come a long, long way to find you.”

“Look, I’m not sure what’s going on here,” he said, looking over his shoulder. “But I’ve got to go.” He started to lift the board. “I’ll see you—”

“Wait. Please.” I stepped forward, and surprisingly he stopped. “I know what he said sounded completely crazy—”

“No, it didn’t,” Hercules snapped.

“Dude.” Seth placed a hand on Hercules’s shoulder. “Can you like, keep it quiet for a minute? Just a minute.”

The demigod mulled that over. “Maybe.”

I drew in a frustrated breath. The demigod part was out of the bag, so it was time to go full crazy on the poor guy. “What he said is true, though. My father is Apollo. I’m a demigod, just like Hercules, who is that Hercules.” I jerked my chin at Alex. “She’s also a demigod. Not like you or me, but she’s one too.”

His light eyes slid from me to Alex. She smiled tightly at him. A moment passed. “Yeah,” he said, drawing the word out. “This is where I end the conversation and bow out politely.”